Maximiliano Salas's boot after Juanfer Quintero's goal enraged River fans | OneFootball

The tense atmosphere at the Monumental, during the match against San Lorenzo, sparked reactions from the players, with the former Racing man ending up at the center of attention. What he said on social media

Eduardo Coudet asked everyone to “stick together more than ever” after qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Apertura Tournament, although the atmosphere between the squad and the fans is far from ideal at River.

In addition to Juanfer Quintero’s gestures after his goal, a video went viral showing Maxi Salas forcefully kicking a ball and sending it toward a section of the lower Belgrano stand. One of the scenes that was not shown on television.

Although the ball ultimately hit a wall, the gesture did not go unnoticed and was interpreted as a response to the team being reproached. Some fans reacted with insults in the stadium, while others vented their anger on social media.

Supporters reminded Maxi of the cost of his transfer and the current moment he is going through with the team, as well as the fact that he does not have enough standing to carry out this kind of action.

The forward’s statement on social media: “I would never do that”

After the video went viral, the River player used his personal Instagram account to clarify the situation and defend himself from the criticism: “There’s a video going around saying I blasted the ball at the fans, I would never do that!”

Alongside an image from the latest match, the forward added: “Much less would I ever disrespect the fans. I kicked it and it just happened to go toward the stand. I would never disrespect the fans.”

Maxi Salas’ post

Before posting that story, Salas had also shared the photo the squad took in the locker room after securing a hard-fought qualification on penalties, with a message of unity looking ahead to what is coming: “All together,” wrote the forward, who has scored only two goals this year, against Estudiantes de Río Cuarto and the aforementioned one against Carabobo.

So far this year, Salas has only started four times: in the 1-4 against Tigre and the 1-0 against Ciudad Bolívar in the Copa Argentina, still with Gallardo as coach, in the 3-1 against Aldosivi a few matchdays ago under Coudet, and in the 1-0 against Bragantino. He then got minutes in several matches coming off the bench, often 45 minutes or more, such as in the superclásico when he replaced Driussi in the first half, but he still has not become a reliable option either for the fans or for the coach.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.